Apple may be getting all of the attention with the iPhone, but that earlier i-handheld line isn't being ignored. HP is betting that its new line of iPAQ handheld devices can compete in the hot handheld space.

Many provide integration services at an extra charge. Some hold GSA contracts on behalf of vendors. One even launched a program where it bids on state and local government contracts as a prime, and another is promoting itself as a subcontractor for government opportunities.

At around 31 pages per minute (ppm) of color printing and topping at 37 ppm for black and white, Konica Minolta's Magicolor 5570 printer is one of the fastest color printers in the company's 5500 color laser line. Its 866-MegaHertz process puts it at the head of the class.

Midsize contractors often have roots as regional integrators: companies that have established a stronghold in a particular geographical area and grown as they added next-generation technologies to their portfolios. They're typically integrators in the $100 million to $1.5 billion range—no longer small businesses and not large enough to be considered "mega systems integrators." Some may have just surpassed the $500 million mark—the point at which many of the benefits of being a small business start to fade away.

First-response technology gets sophisticated

When a young adult in Ripon, Calif., beat up another person at a park and stole a skateboard, he probably thought he got away with it. No one else was around—including any cops—and he took off before the victim even picked up his cellphone. Besides, this was a petty crime; the police have more important things to do than track down an unidentified guy with a skateboard. He had gotten away with it.

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Doron Kempel says selling hyper-convergence can be challenging for solution providers, but success will come from taking business from competitors that are unprepared or hesitant to embrace the technology..